This invention relates generally to a device for holding a board, and more particularly to a martial arts device for rigidly holding one or more boards to receive a karate blow or the like.
Often in the practice of the martial arts it is desired to break boards with kicks and other blows. Typically, such boards must be rigidly held along their marginal edges either by the hands of a person other than the one breaking the board, or by a board holding device.
Kicks and other blows may be struck with horizontal movement or vertical movement, or may be angled upwardly or downwardly. Further, the kicks and other blows may be delivered at a wide variety of heights. Thus, it is desirable that the boards be able to be held at various angles and heights for reception of such kicks and other blows.
In the face of sharp blows, it is difficult to hold the boards rigidly by hand, especially at any angle other than that where the face of the board is vertical. It is also difficult to hold boards rigidly by hand at different heights within a wide range of possible heights. Moreover, although it is sometimes desired to break a group of boards stacked together, it is difficult to hold more than a very few boards at one time because the cummulative thickness renders the stack of boards difficult to grip firmly. In addition, holding boards by hand may be dangerous. For example, the skin of the hands may be pinched between the boards, or the holder may be injured by the forcefully moving hand, arm, foot or head of the striker, or by flying pieces of the broken board, or by the force of impact itself.
Several problems exist with conventional board holding devices, which generally comprise a U-shaped device or an open-end box having slots or L-shaped brackets adjacent its open end for holding boards by their marginal adges. Such devices typically are adapted to be attached to a wall for rigid support. Thus, such devices are not useful away from walls. Further, due to the relative permanency of the wall attachment devices, and the difficulty of repeated attachment and detachment of the board holding devices, such devices are not readily portable. Similarly, once installed, the height of the board holder typically cannot be varied. In addition, attachment to a wall marrs the wall, and blows against the device risk damage to the wall.
Another disadvantage of prior art martial arts board holders is that while some board holders may permit some variation in board angle, the range of adjustment is severely limited. Since the conventional holder is usually mounted on a wall, the blow it accepts must be directed substantially into the wall, that is, substantially horizontal in direction. This is unduly restrictive in that it is desirable to strike boards with blows from directions ranging from nearly upward to nearly downward.
Still another disadvantage of prior art board holders is that the direction of the grain of the board relative to a person striking the board cannot be varied. It is known in this regard that upon a blow to a wooden board, the board will tend to break along the grain as opposed to across the grain, since far greater force is required to break the board across the grain. Thus, for breaking boards, the boards should be held along the marginal board edges which run generally parallel to the grain, and not along the marginal board edges which run across the grain. At times it is desired to break boards with the grain aligned generally vertically, and at other times with the grain aligned generally horizontally. However, prior art martial arts board holders are adapted to either grip the board only along the vertical marginal edges or only along the horizontal marginal edges. Thus, boards must always be held with the grain in the same alignment.